October 2009 Blog Posts (30)

India have been seeded sixth in next year's Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies and will open their campaign on May 1. India have got a relatively easy first round as they have been placed in Group C along with South Africa and a qualifying team yet to be decided.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men, who had a disastrous campaign at the last T20 World Cup in England earlier this year, will face a qualifier in their tournament opener in St Lucia and then will round off their group… Continue

It was a clash of two opposing cultures - the domestic champions from Australia, where the cricket system is probably the best regulated amongst all the countries versus the side from the Caribbean, where chaos and cricket comfortably co-exist.

It was a clash of two opposing captains - both of whom had displayed outstanding leadership right through the tournament to harness the wealth of talent at their disposal and turn it into a formidable team.

A dominant display by New South Wales Blues saw them crush Victoria Bushrangers by 79 runs in the first semi-final of the Champions League Twenty20 cricket at Ferozeshah Kotla stadium here Wednesday.
Chasing a challenging target of 170, Victoria Bushrangers finished at 90 for nine in 20 overs.
New South Wales will meet the winner of the second semi-final between Cape Cobras and Trinidad and Tobago in Hyderabad.

Hi, as a huge fan of all forms of cricket from backyard to the dizzy heights of local 5th grade competition, where I managed to dislocating my clavicle saving a four at third man, I have been attending coaching and playing technique clinics where there has been many good points made to improve your game. If you are a cricket player of any standard there are many avenues you can turn to to improve your game. A good coach is the obvious choice, but after reading Steve Waughs Biography I also… Continue

He turned down the chance to play in Indian Premier League's first two seasons, but Michael Clarke has had a change of heart now and wants to be a part of IPL III to gain experience for his stint as Australia's Twenty20 captain.

Clarke was appointed captain of Australia's Twenty20 team after Ricky Ponting retired from the format following the side's early exit from the T20 World Cup in June.

Eager to gain some Twenty20 experience, Clarke said he wants to play in the… Continue

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has said that the cash-rich Twenty20 competitions like the Indian Premier League and the Champions League give a tough time to international players, however he acknowledges that its all part of a player's life.

He said that the touring commitments placed on top international players are intense, but when a player has passion and love for the game, he would enjoy the experience.

Former Pakistan test bowler Sarfraz Nawaz says Younis Khan should stand down from one-day cricket entirely rather than seek to hold on to the national captaincy in that form of the game.
Khan resigned as captain on Tuesday in protest at match-fixing allegations leveled at the Pakistan team in the recent Champions Trophy. He quit after appearing before a parliamentary committee that cleared the team of those allegations.

The Wall of Indian cricket Rahul Dravid has been dropped from the One Day International squad for the first two matches of a seven-match series against Australia starting October 25.
The first match will be played at Vadodara and Nagpur.

The selectors decision to drop Dravid, despite his consistent show in the recent Champions Trophy after a two-year hiatus from limited overs cricket has raised many eyebrows.

On a day when fans were weighing the pros and cons of changes made to the Indian ODI squad for the home series against Australia, the BCCI sacked bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad and fielding coach Robin Singh without giving reasons for the dumping.
All that a BCCI release said was that "the services of Venkatesh Prasad and Robin Singh are being discontinued with immediate effect."
Later in the day, it was learnt that the decision was based on a report filed by coach Gary Kirsten to… Continue

PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt today said the Board has not accepted Younus Khan's resignation from the post of skipper and the matter will not be discussed in the governing council, rather he will discuss it personally with the 'hurt' player.

Butt told PTI that he would meet Younus in the next two or three days to have a detailed talk with him.
"Younus is a man of integrity and he is very hurt by the remarks credited to the NA body Chairman. But even today when he gave me his… Continue

Ace speedster Zaheer Khan, who underwent a shoulder surgery in mid-July, is to return to cricket action during the West Zone Twenty20 league to be held at Pune from October 20-25.

Khan was today named in the 15-strong Mumbai squad, to be led by Wasim Jaffer, along with young wicket keeper batsman Aditya Tare who earned his berth after hitting a century in the under-22 tie against Karnataka here yesterday.

Khan was in the Mumbai Indians camp that was held recently at… Continue

Former Pakistani leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed has said the PCB should replace Pakistan captain Younis Khan with all-rounder Shahid Afridi.

"I think, it would be better if the PCB change the captain (Younus Khan) and give the responsibility to Afridi. As Younus himself has said it does not bother him if he is not the captain and he is willing to play as a senior member of the side," The News quoted Mushtaq, as saying.

Australian middle-order batsman Callum Ferguson, who was injured during the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand has been ruled out of the Australian summer after a report confirmed that he had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament.

Ferguson had twisted his right knee while fielding during the game in South Africa. The scans have revealed that the extent of damage to a joint is more than what was anticipated and he would have to sit out for six to twelve… Continue

New Zealand all rounder Jacob Oram will reportedly announce his retirement from international Test and one-day cricket in the coming few days.

Oram, who missed the final stages of the recent Champions Trophy held in South Africa due to a hamstring complaint, has been assessing his future since arriving home. It is said that he had discussions with New Zealand Cricket about retiring and could call a press conference as early as tomorrow to reveal his plans.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is against playing its matches in India during the 2011 World Cup, and has reportedly asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to shift its matches to Sri Lanka or Bangladesh.
Sources said PCB chief Ijaz Butt, during the recent ICC executive board meeting, had apprised the game's governing body regarding its stance.

"Even the ICC is aware of the tense relation between the two countries and not keen to take any risks. Pakistan has also… Continue

Australia have named Mike Hussey as deputy to skipper Ricky Ponting in their 15-player squad for a one-day series in India starting on Oct. 25.
Hussey's elevation follows a back injury to fellow batsman Michael Clarke, who was forced to withdraw from their Champions Trophy squad in South Africa.
Australia will also miss first choice wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, undergoing rehabilitation after finger surgery, as well as left-arm paceman Nathan Bracken (knee), Cricket Australia said in a… Continue